The Levee Prepares a “Feast” for 318 Restaurant Week

There is absolutely nothing humdrum, average or predictable about The Levee(520 East Kings Highway, Shreveport), a new craft cocktail lounge and garden-to-table restaurant in Shreveport that will be hosting a party during 318 Restaurant Week. I knew the restaurant was unique before I stopped by to interview co-owners John-Paul Young and Brandon Fail about “A Feast For All Senses”, the 318 Restaurant Week event that they’ll co-host with Nader’s Gallery on Thursday, March 16. By the time I left, I was kind of enthralled by the crazy unpredictability of the place. Their 318 Restaurant Week event should be one heck of a night.

Brandon Fail, co-owner at The Levee in Shreveport, is usually the man behind the cocktail shaker.

“It’s gonna be a little bit more of a party than an ordinary meal,” Fail says. “We want everyone to have a few drinks, enjoy the good company and eat some fresh, local food. We’re trying to do something that no one else is doing.”

During “A Feast For All Senses,” guests will dine on a wine and cheese course, two entrée courses, dessert and two craft cocktails or glasses of wine while enjoying the atmosphere at The Levee and exploring 12,000 square feet of art, furniture and contemporary décor located next door at Nader’s Gallery. Angie White, chairwoman of Slow Food North Louisiana and a regular at The Levee, will host the evening. Tickets are $60 each and must be purchased in advance here. There will be seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each seating is limited to 30 guests.

Cocktails are central to the experience at The Levee, and I’d encourage anyone who attends the party on March 16 to order drinks that they normally wouldn’t. Try a Highland negroni, a paloma or a dark and stormy. If you don’t drink booze, ask for a mocktail—they’re genuinely, surprisingly delicious here and made with every bit as much care as the cocktails.

A blueberry shrub mocktail from The Levee in Shreveport.

At the risk of over-emphasizing it, I’d say that this may be the 318 Restaurant Week experience to attend if you’re not looking for the usual restaurant outing. Expect big personalities, big flavors, vegetable-forward food and Instagram-ready drinks. Just don’t expect to sit down, get handed a menu and have a normal night out. On my most recent visit, I was encouraged to “smell the furniture” (which Young and Fail built by hand – it’s cedar, and does smell nice), eat some flowers that Young picked behind the restaurant (they tasted like snow peas) and try a mocktail made with local vinegar and blueberries (it was phenomenal, the highlight of my meal). Truthfully, I didn’t want to do any of those things—but I enjoyed every one. Purchase tickets to “A Feast For All Senses” here.

318 Restaurant Week is a presentation of The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, The Times and Waitr.